Acceptable gas leak???

[VioletG]

Hi,

We purchased an old Victorian house which has the original inserts converted to gas. The fire was capped off. Someone came down to look and said it was fine to upcap it and replace the gas fire basket.

He fitted it and then informed me there was a small gas leak from the pipe where you turn the gas on (sorry not sure of the technical term).

But said it was in limits but should be fixed at some point but it was OK to use the fire.

I am having someone doing building works who used some gadget and it beeps when put aganist that pipe with the gas off.

I can't smell any gas.

But I am concerned, so is there an acceptable amount of gas?

I'm thinking of just having it shut off completely.

Here is a pic of where the leak is coming from.

 

[cross thread]

No it’s not acceptable that a gas engineer know where a leak is and chooses to ignore it .

 

[Fred Blogs]

Personally, and I'm no gasman, I wouldn't allow any gas leak to remain. I suppose a difference in the readings of the fancy gadget (a manometer I think it's called) they use to test the gas pressure could be labelled as acceptable by someone who knows but I would be very concerned. The last time I had the pressures read after a gas registered chappy capped a gas pipe in my house there was no difference in the readings that he took over a period of time, so he said and I was happy to accept that.

 

[ChrisJP]

I cannot imagine that ANY gas leak (even if "small") is acceptable.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I am having someone doing building works who used some gadget and it beeps when put aganist that pipe with the gas off.

I can't smell any gas.

But I am concerned, so is there an acceptable amount of gas?

Depends what the gadget was, which detected a leak? A general builder, would be unlikely to have such a gadget. The usual method, to find leaks, is soapy water.

Yes, there is an allowable amount of leakage for gas. They use a manometer, which measures the pressure in the pipework, turn it off at the meter, wait a while, and see if it drops any. No drop over a very short period, and it is good enough.

Not a gas fitter, but I make no allowance for loss, over a much longer time period.

 

[RandomGrinch]

Not a gas person, but I believe there is an allowable pressure drop on a tightness test (measured by manometer, based on pipe size and meter type etc.), of 4mb over 2 minutes, on existing installations, with appliances connected and NO smell of gas.
My property has a 1 mb drop, due to lead pipework under the floorboards, where the branches to where the wall mounted gas lamps were, have been crimped off.

However, as @cross thread suggests, I can't imagine a gas engineer not sorting an obvious leak that they have identified.

 

[gas112]

I cannot imagine that ANY gas leak (even if "small") is acceptable.

because you are not a qualified gas
man that knows the rules

 

[gas112]

There is an allowable drop but not once it has been smelt and especially when its identified exactly were it is . He should have turned off and isolated the leak or if this wasnt possible then isolated at the meter.
.
Strange looking isolating tap that skirting needs ripping off to get in and fix it ASAP . 99.9% of gasmen would be following the regs and turning you off till its fixed

 

[gas112]

Not a gas person, but I believe there is an allowable pressure drop on a tightness test (measured by manometer, based on pipe size and meter type etc.), of 4mb over 2 minutes, on existing installations, with appliances connected and NO smell of gas.
My property has a 1 mb drop, due to lead pipework under the floorboards, where the branches to where the wall mounted gas lamps were, have been crimped off.

However, as @cross thread suggests, I can't imagine a gas engineer not sorting an obvious leak that they have identified.

nearly right but its not always 4 mb it depends on what meter is fitted pipe size etc etc

 

[footprints]

OK I am an old fella that still thinks in tenths of an inch!
Only allowable if not being smelt or reported. Example, you go to do a job test before hand and see a very small drop on the gauge, after work you cannot locate it and the drop is the same.
If you know where it is you fix it!

 

[gas112]

OK I am an old fella that still thinks in tenths of an inch!
Only allowable if not being smelt or reported. Example, you go to do a job test before hand and see a very small drop on the gauge, after work you cannot locate it and the drop is the same.
If you know where it is you fix it!

80 tenth`s 16 tenth`s drop

 

[VioletG]

There is an allowable drop but not once it has been smelt and and especially identified exactly were it is . He should have turned off and isolated the leak or if this wasnt possible then isolated at the meter.
.
Strange looking isolating tap that skirting needs ripping off to get in and fix it ASAP . 99.9% of gasmen would be following the regs and turning you off till its fixed

Thank you. The skirting is the original, so I have no idea how old that tap is. I hope when it comes off they can do it carefully. The other option is just capping the supply to it.

I need to get it sorted. One person said it might be coming from the part of the pipe under the floor.

Could that be the case?

Or could it also just be that the isolating tap needs changing as its so old?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I need to get it sorted. One person said it might be coming from the part of the pipe under the floor.

Could that be the case?

A cup of soapy water, and an old paint brush, dab it around the valve or what ever it is - where bubbles form, is where the leak is.

 

[cross thread]

Or could it also just be that the isolating tap needs changing as it’s so old.
That could be stripped ,greased and reassembled.